Despite how frustrated some fans are, Mike Tomlin is almost certainly going to be with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025. Although he hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016, he’s still managed to keep the Steelers competitive. That doesn’t seem to be good enough, though. Late-season collapses, and first-round playoff exits have people calling for the Steelers to replace Tomlin. However, former NFL defensive lineman Stephen Weatherly believes the Steelers would be hard-pressed to upgrade over Tomlin.
“Fans think that there is a coach out there that can take these similar pieces, situation, how the ownership is, which is another factor that the average fan doesn’t think about,” Weatherly said recently on Atlanta Black Star’s YouTube channel. “Ownership and your relationship as the head coach with ownership matters.
“An average fan thinks there’s another guy out there, pedigree or not, college or proven coach, that can come in and handle all these factors so much better than Mike Tomlin has over his entire career that will elevate them over the hump and take them there. That is such a finite pool of individuals that I don’t think it’s gonna happen.”
Weatherly raises a good point that upgrading over Tomlin would be difficult. He’s never had a losing season, and that doesn’t just happen by accident. Tomlin is a phenomenal coach, being one of the main reasons the Steelers have remained competitive.
However, that shouldn’t guarantee him automatic job security. Yes, it might be tough to find a coach better than Tomlin, but the Steelers have managed to transition from one legendary coach to another before.
The Steelers have famously only had three head coaches since 1969. That began with Chuck Noll, who helped bring four Super Bowls to Pittsburgh. When Noll retired in 1991, it seemed like the Steelers were poised to take a step back. After all, he was the man who pulled them out of the NFL’s basement. Without him, would they revert back to the losers they were?
The Steelers rolled the dice on that question, and rather than take a step back, they immediately found themselves back near the top of the league. In 1992, the Steelers hired Bill Cowher as their head coach and finished first in their division for the first time since 1984.
It took some time for Cowher to win a Super Bowl, but he would capture a fifth championship for the Steelers. When he retired after the 2006 season, the Steelers once again found themselves in an uncertain position. They took another gamble, hiring a relative unknown in Tomlin as their head coach. Fast forward to 2024, and it’s safe to say the Steelers made the right decision again.
The point is that while Tomlin will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day, that doesn’t mean the Steelers can’t upgrade over him. They transitioned nicely from Noll to Cowher to Tomlin. If the Steelers continue to fall short in the playoffs, it might be time to take another risk.
